Exploring the interplay of bone lesions: unraveling health implications and daily life challenges in an Iron Age skeleton from Ya'amun, Jordan.

This study analyzed the paleopathological conditions of a 30-year-old male unearthed at the site of Ya'amun in northern Jordan. The skeleton was dated back to Iron age. The paleopathological examinations were performed using macroscopic and radiological analyses. The results revealed multiple significant bone lesions, including periosteal osteosarcoma of the right femur, plagiocephaly, asymmetry of the sacrum, vertebral fractures, anemia, and osteoarthritis. This case represents the first example of neoplasm and plagiocephaly in the Iron Age of the region. Despite enduring severe health conditions, the individual managed to reach the third decade while facing the demands of strenuous daily activities that exemplified the harsh living and subsistence conditions characteristic of the Iron Age.

Buccal dental microwear as an indicator of dietary habits and dietary adaptation of the Byzantine people of Jordan.

This study examined buccal microwear from the Byzantine sites of Yajuz and Sa'ad in Jordan (n = 15) to assess different subsistence economies. An Indian Hindu sample (n = 7) was used for comparative purposes. The results show no differences in the pattern of buccal dental microwear between the two Byzantine sites, while a difference was noted when these sites were compared to Hindus. It is probable that cultural variation was the cause of buccal microwear differences between the temporally located sites. Although the economies during the Byzantine period were diversified, technological adaptation spread into region during the Byzantine period , which eased food accession and processing.